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ENGLAND'S MISSION.

The bazaar and the roads where we might now walk with impunity in the darkest of nights, the houses in which we now sleep with doors unlocked and unguarded, without the slightest fear of any kind whatever, occupy places where in the broad light of day no one could venture to appear, and which were the dens of jackals and the nests of robbers and thieves.

Every now and then the fiercer and more powerful neighbours of the city rushed upon it for the purpose of rapine and plunder, and took away all that their weaker brethren possessed.

"Seeing this marked contrast, the question naturally arises: What is it then that has been the cause of this wonderful change, this miraculous transformation? What is it that has curbed the violent fury of the fierce, that has checked the tyrannous power of the mighty, and that has afforded equal protection to all, so that, to use the native proverb, 'the lion and the lamb can now drink water at the same fountain."

"The answer comes not from my mind alone, nor from that of the few men that have assembled here, but from the grateful hearts of all my countrymen of whom I am but an humble representative, from the loving and loyal subjects of Her Most Gracious and Imperial Majesty the Queen of England and Empress of India— that IT IS THE BRITISH RAJ THAT HAS SHOWERED ALL THESE BLESSINGS UPON THEM, it is the Mighty Kingdom of Great Britain that has performed these noble deeds, that has wrought these splendid and remarkable changes.

"The people of this vast country were weltering in the mud of ignorance and superstition; they had suffered long from the tyranny and cruelty of ages; peace, and with it prosperity, had been driven out of this land by constant internal wars and foreign invasions, when at last the cries and the woes of millions of men, women, and children reached the ears of the ALMIGHTY, and HE IN HIS INFINITE MERCY, sent from the Far West this mighty yet God-fearing nation, to rule over, to civilise, and to help out of their difficulties their brethren of the East. THE MISSION THUS ENTRUSTED TO ENGLAND has been hitherto faithfully fulfilled, and in the place of civil wars and national feuds, now reigns supreme over the country Peace, that mother of arts and sciences. In the place of the darkness of ignorance and superstition, has dawned, and will in time shine forth in all its resplendent glory, the light of civilisation and enlightenment. It is England that has reminded the natives of this land, of the ancient and renowned glory and civilisation of their forefathers; and bearing that in mind, they have within the short period of about fifty years (short when compared with the progress of a nation), made rapid strides in improvement of every

THE BRITISH PATH OF DESTINY.

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kind, whether in science, literature, or art, and raised their position immensely in the scale of nations. Peace, long lost and forgotten, has been restored to this country, and in its train, and under its benign influence and the fostering care of Government, have followed prosperity, learning, riches, and wealth."—(Punjab Times, October 2d, 1883.)

Monsieur Max O'Rell, a French writer, says: "The French fight for glory; the Germans for a living; the Russians to divert the attention of the people from home affairs; but John Bull is a reasonable, moral, and reflecting character: HE FIGHTS TO PROMOTE TRADE, TO MAINTAIN PEACE AND ORDER ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH, AND THE GOOD OF MANKIND IN GENERAL. If he conquers a nation, it is to improve its condition in this world and secure its welfare in the next a high moral aim you perceive. Give me your territory, and I will give you the Bible.

"John is convinced of his intentions being pure and his mission holy; that when he goes to war and his soldiers get killed, he does not like it. Above all things she (Britain) is practical. When she has achieved the conquest of a nation, she sets to work to organise it : she gives it free institutions, allows it to govern itself, trades with it, enriches it, and endeavours to make herself agreeable to her new subjects. If England relied merely upon her bayonets to guard her empire, that empire would collapse like a house of cards; it is a moral force, sSOMETHING FAR MORE POWERFUL THAN BAYONETS THAT KEEPS IT TOGETHER."-(" John Bull and his Island," pp. 3, 5.)

The British in Australia number about two millions of souls, in possession of land amounting to 1,800,000,000 acres. Speaking of our growing Australian Empire, Mr. Henry Parks, writing in the Nineteenth Century (January 1884, p. 144), says: "I believe most thoughtful men in the public life of Australia are in favour of the BRITISH PATH OF DESTINY." The writer proceeds, in page 146, 147, to explain what he means by the "British Path of Destiny: "The English people in Europe, in America, in Africa, in Asia, in Australasia, are SURELY DESTINED FOR A MISSION BEYOND THE WORK WHICH HAS CONSUMED THE ENERGIES OF NATIONS throughout the buried centuries. If they hold together in the generations before us IN OUR WORLD-EMBRACING EMPIRE, maintaining and propagating the principles of justice, freedom, and peace, what blessings might arise from their united power To BEAUTIFY and INVIGORATE THE WORLD! To share in the pacific grandeur of a rule transcending all other forms of dominion, and superior to all other governing powers in capability of improving the condition of mankind, would be better, nobler, more elevating for young Australia than separate national existence, though it were

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THE BRITISH PATH OF DESTINY.

the freest and most prosperous. Under the flag of the United English people, the work of human progress might well go on till the poet's dream melted into the reality of the statesman's achievement

Till the war-drum throbb'd no longer,

And the battle-flags were furled,

In the Parliament of Man,

The federation of the world.'

"To bear an honoured part in a consummation so glorious, to be included in a federation so all-powerful and so beneficent, is what my feeble voice would claim for Australia. And THIS AMAZING DESTINY LIES CLEAR BEFORE THE ENGLISH people, waiting to be entered upon, and easy of accomplishment. England in her day of narrow purposes, has done many things more difficult than placing herself at the head of the civilised world in the present age. But to take the colonies with her in this work of worldempire, they must be made part of England herself. The very nomenclature of colonies must be dropped out of existence."

The Globe, in the article dated 22d October 1883, condemning the policy of the present Government in rejecting the goldfields of New Guinea, has these remarkable words :

"It behoves those who profess so much love for liberty in every form, to see that, as far as may be, the natives of countries abounding in mineral wealth may be protected when engaged in developing the resources of their country under the superintendence of white men. This, of course, can only be when the country is under the control of some free, civilised Power; and what power is so fitted for the task as Great Britain, whose MISSION it has been for centuries past to open up the dark places of the earth, and by a mild and enlightened rule, fully appreciated by native races, to civilise rather than exterminate? and, if hitherto she has not been as successful in this mission as she might have been, it is largely owing to this spirit of parsimony."

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CHAPTER XIV.

35. To be Messengers of God's Truth to the World.

Micah v. 7. And the covenant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as A DEW FROM THE LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.

Isa. Ixi. 6. But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the ministers of our God. Ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

Isa. xlii. 6. I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people (Heb. LE BRITHAM: to Britain), FOR A LIGHT OF THE GENTILES.

be glorified.

Gen. xxii. 18. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou (Abraham) hast obeyed my voice. Isa. xlix. 3, 8. Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will 6. I will also give thee FOR A LIGHT TO THE GENTILES, that thou mayest BE MY SALVATION unto the end of the earth. 8. I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people (Heb. LE BRITHAM: to Britain) to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages.

The British and Foreign Bible Society have published the Word of God during the past eighty years, directly in 243 languages and dialects, and 55 indirectly, with a total of 100,035,933 copies of either the whole or a portion of the Bible; while other societies have made the total number of publications come up to 341. In the May Meetings of 1884, held in Exeter Hall, the following incomes were announced of only a few of the many organisations at work for the dissemination of Gospel truths :

I

In the year 1882 the number of publications of the Tract Society, including books, tracts, pamphlets, and periodicals, amounted to 93,379,351, which is equal to 7,164,724 per month, 1,791,181 per week, 255,883 per day, 10,659 per hour, or 177 per minute.

"Dr. Moon, of 104 Queen's Road, Brighton, himself a blind man, though not born blind, now working in the dark, with his mind bent on one noble idea, that of placing the BIBLE